Basics
Sodium phosphate is a chemical compound composed of sodium and phosphate ions. It is used medically primarily in cases of phosphate deficiency in the body. This can occur in the context of a rare genetic disease in which a defect in the PHEX gene is responsible for the clinical picture. This leads to increased excretion of phosphate via the kidneys, resulting in an excessively low phosphate level in the blood.
Phosphate, together with calcium, is responsible for the strength of the bones in the body. When deficient, it affects the bones, causing them to soften or bend and increasing the risk of fractures.
This disease is inherited X-linked. If the father has the disease, all daughters will be affected as well; if the mother has the disease, there is a 50% chance that daughters and sons will also be affected.
It is diagnosed at an early age, usually in childhood. It is not curable, but can be corrected by substitution therapies that supply the body with phosphate, thus compensating for the deficiency in the body.
Sodium Phosphate BRAUN® is a concentrated sodium phosphate solution administered intravenously (into the vein via a venous drip) to correct low levels of phosphate in the blood.
Applications and indications
Sodium phosphate solution is administered intravenously as an additive to infusion solutions. The dosage depends on the patient. The average requirement of an intensive care patient is approximately 50-70 mmol phosphate or 0.7-1 mmol/kg body weight per day. This calculated amount is then added to approximately 250 ml of fluid and administered.
However, sodium phosphate is not only used in medicine to correct a sodium phosphate deficiency, but also as a laxative for constipation. For this purpose, there is the drug phospho-soda on the market, which increases the water content of the stool and in this way facilitates bowel movement and empties the intestine.
In addition, sodium phosphate plays an important role in everyday life as an additive in cleaning agents as a descaling agent or in food technology, among other things as a complexing agent, acidity regulator or firming agent.
In the EU, it is approved as a food additive under the number E339 and is added to certain types of cheese (e.g. processed cheese).
Sodium phosphates are also widely used in agriculture as fertilizers.
History
In the past, sodium phosphates were also used in detergents to reduce water hardness. However, a problem has developed that this causes them to enter wastewater, where they promote algae growth and cause water pollution.
For this reason, many governments and environmental organizations have decided to restrict or completely ban the use of sodium phosphates. For example, their use is now banned in some countries, such as Switzerland.
